Community Fees in Spain Explained

Community fees fund everything that benefits the comunidad de propietarios (community of owners) as a whole. The exact scope depends on the facilities your development offers, but typical items include:

• Communal area maintenance: cleaning of hallways, lobbies, lifts, stairwells, and outdoor common spaces
• Swimming pool: maintenance, water treatment, lifeguard (if required), and seasonal opening/closing
• Gardens and landscaping: irrigation, lawn mowing, tree pruning, and planting
• Security: gated entry systems, CCTV, and 24-hour on-site security guards in some urbanisations
• Building insurance: the communal buildings insurance policy that covers the structure (though not your contents)
• Lift maintenance: regular servicing and safety inspections
• Communal electricity and water: lighting for car parks, hallways, and outdoor areas
• Administration: the property management company (administrador de fincas) that handles accounts, meetings, and contractor coordination
• Reserve fund: by law, a minimum of 10% of the annual budget must be set aside in a reserve fund for future repairs

Higher community fees typically reflect more extensive facilities rather than poor management — though badly-run communities can waste money too. When viewing a property, always ask to see the community's annual budget and accounts before making an offer.

Community fees on the Costa del Sol vary significantly by property type and the level of communal facilities. The table below gives realistic 2025–2026 ranges:

Property Type	Typical Monthly Fee	What Is Usually Included
Small apartment block (no pool, no lift)	€50–€100	Cleaning, building insurance, basic maintenance
Mid-range apartment with pool	€100–€200	Pool, gardens, cleaning, insurance, lift maintenance
Townhouse in gated community	€100–€250	Pool, gardens, security gate, communal areas
Luxury apartment / penthouse	€200–€400	Multiple pools, gym, concierge, extensive gardens, security
Villa in resort-style urbanisation	€250–€500+	24hr security, pools, tennis, clubhouse, landscaping, roads
Detached villa (small community)	€50–€150	Road maintenance, street lighting, communal insurance only

Bear in mind: the highest fees are not always the worst value. A well-maintained urbanisation with extensive facilities can command €400/month and still represent excellent value if the alternative is paying for private pool maintenance, garden upkeep, and security independently. Conversely, suspiciously low fees may indicate a community that is deferring maintenance — a problem that will eventually surface as a derrama (special levy).

Community fees are not set by your estate agent, your developer, or the government. They are decided by the community of owners at the annual general meeting (junta de propietarios), based on a budget proposed by the community president or administrator.

Each owner has a participation quota (cuota de participación) — a percentage written into the property deed that reflects the relative size and value of their unit within the community. A three-bedroom penthouse will have a higher quota than a one-bedroom ground-floor flat, and therefore pays higher community fees. This quota is fixed and cannot be changed without unanimous agreement from all owners.

The process typically works as follows:

• The administrator prepares an annual budget covering all expected expenses for the coming year
• The budget is presented at the AGM (Junta General Ordinaria), usually held once a year
• Owners vote to approve, amend, or reject the budget. Simple majority of those present (by quota) is sufficient for the ordinary budget
• Once approved, the total budget is divided among owners according to their participation quotas

Fees can and do increase annually. Typical annual increases of 2–5% are normal, reflecting inflation and rising service costs. Larger increases may signal that the community has been under-charging and needs to catch up, or that a major expense is looming. You have the right to attend and vote at every AGM — exercise it, even if you need to attend by proxy.

A derrama is a special one-off levy charged to all owners for extraordinary expenses not covered by the regular community budget. Derramas are the cost that catches new buyers off-guard, and they can be substantial.

Common reasons for a derrama include:

• Major structural repairs: roof replacement, foundation work, facade restoration
• Lift replacement or modernisation: can cost €30,000–€80,000 for the community, divided among owners
• Pool renovation: relining, replumbing, or building a new pool
• Legal compliance: fire safety upgrades, accessibility requirements, energy efficiency works
• Shortfall in reserves: if the reserve fund is insufficient for an urgent repair

Derramas must be approved by the community at a general meeting. Your share is calculated using the same participation quota that determines your monthly fees. On a large urbanisation, a €200,000 community expense might translate to €2,000–€5,000 per unit, but it could be significantly more for major works.

Before you buy: ask your lawyer to request the community's recent meeting minutes (actas), which will reveal any pending or recently approved derramas. Also check whether any major works are planned or have been discussed. A derrama approved the month before you buy is legally your responsibility — the obligation follows the property, not the previous owner.

This is one of the most important things your lawyer must check before completion. Under Spanish law, the property itself is liable for unpaid community fees — not just the previous owner. Specifically:

• The current year's fees and the three preceding years' fees are attached to the property. If you buy an apartment with two years of unpaid community fees, you become responsible for that debt upon completion.
• The community administrator is required to issue a certificate of debt (certificado de deudas con la comunidad) that must be presented at the notary on the day of sale. This document states whether the seller is up to date with community payments.
• Your lawyer should insist that all outstanding community debts are paid by the seller before or at completion. This is standard practice and can be arranged by withholding the relevant amount from the purchase funds.

If your lawyer does not request this certificate, that is a serious concern about their competence. It is a routine and essential part of due diligence. Never rely on the seller's word alone — demand the official certificate from the community administrator.

Also ask your lawyer to review the community's overall financial health. A community with a high rate of non-payment (common in some developments where many units are owned by banks after foreclosure) may struggle to fund maintenance, leading to deteriorating common areas and potential derramas to cover the shortfall.

As a property owner in a Spanish community, you have significant legal rights under the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal:

• Right to attend and vote at all community meetings, in person or by written proxy. Your vote weight is determined by your participation quota.
• Right to access the accounts and financial records of the community at any time. The administrator must provide transparency on income and expenditure.
• Right to challenge decisions taken at community meetings by filing a legal objection within 30 days if you believe a decision was taken improperly or violates the law.
• Right to stand as president. The community president is elected from among the owners (or the role is assigned by rotation). The president represents the community legally and chairs meetings.
• Right to use communal facilities in accordance with the community statutes and internal rules.

Equally, you have obligations: you must pay your community fees on time, respect the community's internal rules, and allow access to your property for works that benefit the community (such as plumbing repairs that run through your walls). Persistent non-payment can result in the community taking legal action against you, including court orders and potential embargoes on your property.

If your community has problems — poor management, excessive spending, or a president who makes unilateral decisions — you can call an extraordinary general meeting by gathering support from 25% of owners (by participation quota). Spanish property law gives owners the tools to hold their communities accountable; the key is being engaged and informed.